Perhaps the twentieth century's most revered presidents, Franklin
Delano Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan could not seem more different as
standard-bearers of liberal and conservative revolutions. But, as
John Sloan demonstrates, they were more similar than most people
suppose.
One rising out of the Great Depression and the self-defeating
efforts of Herbert Hoover, the other out of the malaise of the
1970s and the failings of Jimmy Carter, both these presidents
entered office with a mandate for change and oversaw a quantum
shift in the national psyche. And while everyone takes their
clashing visions for granted, Sloan demonstrates that these two
very different presidents shared an ability to replace exhausted
old leadership with a genuinely new vision.
FDR and Reagan is a study of how old regimes unravel, how new
ones are constructed, and how the political system is rejuvenated.
Adapting noted presidential scholar Stephen Skowronek's framework,
Sloan analyzes how two iconic "reconstructive" presidents redefined
the country's fundamental philosophy, priorities, and policies as
he weighs their similarities, differences, and impacts. He compares
their lives, core policies, and leadership traits and shows that
today's politics and policies are still heavily influenced by these
key presidencies.
Each of these men transformed the way Americans thought about
the legitimate role of government, whether providing more security
for citizens or stepping back from federal regulation. But, as
Sloan reminds us, the new order never totally destroys the
old-reconstructive presidents never completely eradicate the ideas
and programs associated with the regime they replaced. Big business
survived the New Deal, just as the welfare state weathered the
Reagan Revolution.
As with other transformative presidents before them, the words
and deeds of FDR and Reagan have taken on nearly mythical
significance; yet Americans remain torn between the economic
security offered by one and the economic freedom championed by the
other. Sloan's book helps readers see through this contradiction
and better understand the decisive role of presidents in promoting
national progress.
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